Global 7 Inch Oriental Chef's Knife - Lightweight Japanese Stainless Steel, Razor-Sharp Edge, Made in Japan, G-4

I have never owned such a sharp, wonderfully balanced knife as this one. I read about it in Anthony Bourdain's book, Kitchen Confidential. He uses this knife in a larger size. I love the 7-inch size -- it is similar in size to the old, dull knives that I've been using for years. Anthony says you only need one knife, a chefs knife like this one. It really is the perfect knife for absolutely everything. You do have to be VERY careful with it when you first start using it after almost a lifetime of using dull knives. It is SHARP! Razor sharp! But oh what a joy to slice potatoes thinly, chop onions or garlic, cut up tomatoes or vegetables, trim meat, cut up a cooked chicken -- everything is so much easier with this knife! I also love that it is all one gorgeous piece of beautiful silvery metal. No handle to loosen over time, and somehow the handle never seems to get slippery, even when your hands are wet or greasy. This knife is well worth the price, and then some.

Knives don't get better than this. I own a variety of Global knives, as well as a few Japanese chef knives. The latter require much care, and it's a neverending balance between developing patina or rust. A few years back, during a move, I took my entire knife collection and packed it into a moving box. Want to guess which box disappeared? Someone out there has an outstanding collection of knives. Since I lost a few Global knives in that incident -- I've been re-collecting knives in my kitchen, trying out some new brands I've eyed for years and also collecting a few custom chef's knives. They are all pretty great in their own regard, but really, to be honest, I probably enjoy owning them more than using them. Nothing quite like pulling out a 10" blade when guests are over--but actually using it is effectively or even beautifully is another challenge. With one of my knives, it's like getting a workout. Global knives, and especially this size, are always my go-to knife under regular circumstances. It cuts meat like a hot blade on butter and the slice through vegetables is always clean and instantaneous. The edge stays sharp, and even after a few years, I barely notice any dullness. It fits into a regular female hand so perfectly and snugly, giving the user a lot of control and precision. I know with my 8-10" knives, it's often like I'm wielding a samurai knife in the kitchen--and I admit I've ended up with quite a few cuts while attempting to slice and dice. I know the popular brands out there like Wusthof or Henckels are mainstream, but they can't hold a candle to Global knives.

Dull knives are not only frustrating to use but dangerous, because of the extra pressure that needs to be applied to cut one's food. After reading many reviews I felt confident about buying this knife. Sure enough, it does a great job with cutting tough root veggies and ever other food item. It feels great in hand, because of its shape and lightweight composition. We love it.

Update: I decided to return beautiful knife.. I wanted the heavier model. I will continue to by Global knives. I pulled this beautiful knife out of the substantial, attractive box, and immediately wanted to chop stir fry. It is sharp, feels good in my small hand, and doesn't make my wrist sore. I have never purchased an expensive knife, way too expensive! Now I know why others love this knife! Quality. Simply. Thank you Global for changing my mind! I've always wanted a knife to last, not having to sharpen it all the freaking time, or toss away for 'better' knives. This knife will be treated with respect, as due. It is that amazing. Japanese is AWAYS the best. Quality, forever. Wow, thank you Global. I'm buying more!!!

This was the first Global knife I owned and it is the most used in my collection. I find it has great balance, an excellently sharpened blade, and a nice shape for dicing. One of the things that I was originally apprehensive about when I bought this knife was Amazon's description of this being for small-handed individuals (as I am six foot and of average build). I have no problems handling this knife. It's a little more slippery than, say, the Chicago Cutlery knives I have with wooden handles, but the trade off is that it's easier to clean (don't put it in the dishwasher) and looks a lot cooler. If you're serious about cooking, and have the coin to upgrade, I would go with Global's heavier line. These knives are a little more difficult to sharpen than most knives I've had (especially this one with its curved blade). The manufacturer says to use a waterstone, which I have, but I tend to use my electric sharpener which does the job nicely. Since I've bought this knife, I've acquired the Chef's knife, vegetable knife, and the paring knife from this collection and I am happy with all of them.

Fabulous knife! I sharpen knives and shears as a part-time job, so I can immediately tell quality steel when I put it to the sharpening stones. And this knife is very well done! I bought this blade for my girlfriend because she has smaller hands and loves to cook. She loves this blade because the grip has a thinner diameter that allows it to be much for comfortable to users with smaller hands, but this knife is still very comfortable to men with average size hands as well. The one-piece steel construction of these blade makes it look very streamlined, as well as having the added benefit of being much more sanitary and easy to clean. It also takes a screaming sharp edge! My girlfriend and I also love the curved shape to this blade, as it makes rocking type cutting chores quite easy. Recommended

First I wanna mention that I love the sand in the handle that allows the weight distribution to be really nice!. Plus I like the grip of the handle, but the little holes make it take a bit longer to clean. This thing came out the box sharp, but I gave it a quick little honing on a whetstone and this thing is a razor!. It also holds its sharpness from my constant testing on slightly frozen raw meat. It’s a really good quality in my opinion, paid around $100 for it. If you can get it between $80-$100 I think it’s a good deal.

The reason I bought a Global knife is because my boss has been using the same G-2 in our kitchen for 10 years and it remains sharp. I purchased the G-4 as it is similar enough to the G-2 model, but my boss and I are able to tell which knife belongs to one another. If you need a nice chef's knife and you don't want to break the bank, the Global G-2 and Global G-4 are both some solid choices.